As a mom with a child with DS, I cannot imagine what life would have been like had I not brought her into the world. However, raising a child with a disability is not right for everyone. Not everyone can handle this. There are many factors to consider, including whether or not the child would suffer as a result of their disabilities. When my daughter was born, she spent nearly a month in NICU. She was in a room with four other babies at the time and one of them was born with so many problems, the outlook was not good. The baby required many life saving surgeries and sadly, at two weeks old the baby passed away, despite all that was done to try and save him. Those parents will forever have to live with the fact that they had to bury their child.
On the flip side of this, there is the abortion issue. If it is determined that a baby will be born with life threatening issues and this can be verified through an amniocentesis, ultrasounds and other invitro testing, then the parent(s) need to be able to make the best informed decision as possible.
Now, if we are talking about a disability that is not life-threatening and one where the child, through early intervention services and programs, will be able to have a good (or better) quality of life, then again, the parents still need to make an informed choice, but I think perhaps they should also talk to persons who already have the disability their child will be born with so that they can have their minds put at ease.
I found out ten days before my daughter was born that she would be born with Down syndrome. I had the wonderful opportunity to talk to parents who already had kids with DS. I met children who were toddlers to adults who were enrolling in college. Leading a full life is possible, but only with the right interventions in place. Depending on what country one lives in, they may or may not have access to such programs. There is a lot to take into consideration.
It's not just as simple as making a blanket statement of "quality of life". There's more to it than that.
On the flip side of this, there is the abortion issue. If it is determined that a baby will be born with life threatening issues and this can be verified through an amniocentesis, ultrasounds and other invitro testing, then the parent(s) need to be able to make the best informed decision as possible.
Now, if we are talking about a disability that is not life-threatening and one where the child, through early intervention services and programs, will be able to have a good (or better) quality of life, then again, the parents still need to make an informed choice, but I think perhaps they should also talk to persons who already have the disability their child will be born with so that they can have their minds put at ease.
I found out ten days before my daughter was born that she would be born with Down syndrome. I had the wonderful opportunity to talk to parents who already had kids with DS. I met children who were toddlers to adults who were enrolling in college. Leading a full life is possible, but only with the right interventions in place. Depending on what country one lives in, they may or may not have access to such programs. There is a lot to take into consideration.
It's not just as simple as making a blanket statement of "quality of life". There's more to it than that.
Disclaimer: I am only responsible for what I say, not what you choose to understand.
